That's Right; I Deep-Fried an Egg, and It Was Good...!

Deep-Fried Egg over Broccoli Cream GritsSOME PEOPLE GET SONGS STUCK in their heads for hours, sometimes days. I get recipes. Or, more like recipe ideas. Some come from my over active imagination, and some are inspired by other recipes, either read about, heard about, seen, or heartily enjoyed myself.

I receive email newsletters from New York Magazine's Grub Street blog, and was intrigued by an item about a butter-crowned egg dish served at an L.A. restaurant called Tavern, which dredges a poached egg in some breadcrumbs, fries it, and serves it over asparagus and polenta.

My version of the dish would involve, likewise, a breadcrumbed egg (boiled, not poached) served over some broccoli-creamed grits. I prepped the grits as directed. In a separate pan, I sautéed some thin garlic slices in some olive oil until they were caramelized. I rough chopped some fresh broccoli—florets and stems—and tossed them into the pan with the garlic, deglazing the bottom of the pan with some chicken stock. I added salt, black pepper, and two big heaping tablespoons of butter, and gave those a good stir over medium heat for a few minutes.

I then added some heavy cream and let all those flavors simmer and mix in the pan over low heat for another seven minutes or so, stirring occasionally. Once the cream got to a nice thick, bubbly, I poured the pan's entire content with some dried basil into a blender and blended on low.

Meanwhile, I boiled an egg. I (De)shelled the egg, rolled it in some flour, dipped it in an egg wash, rolled in some breadcrumbs I seasoned with salt, pepper, chili powder, oregano, and tarragon, and dropped in a pot of preheated (canola) oil for about a minute.

Removing the fried, bread egg and placing it on some paper towels to dry, I then poured my broccoli-garlic-cream mixture into the done grits with some parmesan cheese and stirred while it was all still hot. Then, it got spooned onto a plate with the crumbed egg set on top...:

Verdict? This turned out far better than I expected! The brits had a great consistency with a great combination of layers of bright, herbal notes creamy "mellowness" in both taste and aroma. And, most importantly, the egg—whose "shell" maintained its deep crunch throughout the whole meal—that just put the whole thing over the top.

The only disappointment for me was making the decision to go pick up paint for my apartment (my painter showed up early) while the egg was originally boiling. The egg cooked longer than I wanted to and the yolk set; I obviously would have preferred that the yolk be warm and runny.

But I'm still glad I made it, I almost can't wait to make it again. (And pshaw! to the website, Recipe Puppy for only having quiche recipes for the ingredients, eggs, broccoli, and heavy cream...!